DEVICES, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS FOR COATING PRODUCTS
A method of treating a perishable item with a coating is described. In one embodiment, the method includes identifying operational parameters associated with a drying tunnel, identifying a desired coating requirement, determining optimal drying tunnel parameters based on the operational parameters and the desired coating requirements, and operating the drying tunnel based on the optimal drying tunnel parameters.
1 . A method for treating, using a treatment apparatus, a plurality of items with a coating mixture, the method comprising:
identifying first data associated with the treatment apparatus;
identifying second data associated with the plurality of items;
identifying third data associated with the coating mixture;
determining coating requirements that represent desired properties of coating over the plurality of items;
determining treatment processing parameters based on the first data, the second data, the third data, and the coating requirements;
setting the treatment apparatus based on the treatment processing parameters; and
operating the treatment apparatus to treat the plurality of items with the coating mixture.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the coating mixture includes a coating agent, a water-based solution, and a solvent.
3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the treatment apparatus comprises:
a conveyor bed configured to support the plurality of items and being rotatable to convey the plurality of items thereon;
one or more sprayer configured to apply the coating mixture to the plurality of items on the conveyor bed;
one or more blower configured to blow air onto the plurality of items such that the solvent is at least partially removed from the plurality of items and a protective coating of the coating agent is formed over the plurality of items; and
a heat exchanger configured to heat the air at a predetermined temperature higher than an ambient temperature.
4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the first data includes at least one of a mass throughput, the ambient temperature, an ambient humidity, a post heat exchanger temperature, a post heat exchanger humidity, an item path air velocity, a conveyor length, a conveyor width, or a heated chamber height.
5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the second data includes at least one of a geometry of the items, a density of the items, a thermal conductivity of the items, a skin thickness of the items, a water content of the items, a composition of the items, or a surface area of the items.
6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the third data includes the third data includes at least one of an adherence rate, a dynamic viscosity, a mass diffusivity, a specific heat capacity, a latent heat of vaporization, a thermal conductivity, a density, a heat transfer coefficient, or a mass transfer coefficient.
7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein determining treatment processing parameters comprises:
setting a residence time through the treatment apparatus;
monitoring the treatment processing parameters;
determining whether variables associated with the treatment apparatus meet a threshold, the threshold representative of the coating requirements; and
identifying, based on the variables meeting the threshold, the variables as the treatment processing parameters.
8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein determining treatment processing parameters comprises:
predicting the treatment processing parameters based on a treatment processing model with inputs of the first data, the second data, the third data, and the coating requirements.
9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein determining treatment processing parameters comprises:
determining a treatment processing model;
fitting the treatment processing model based on the first data, the second data, the third data, and the coating requirements; and
predicting the treatment processing parameters based on the fitted treatment processing model.
10 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
verifying the treatment processing model based on the operation of the treatment apparatus.
11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the treatment apparatus includes a heated convection-based drying apparatus.
12 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the coating mixture comprises a monoglyceride and fatty acid salt.
13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the coating mixture comprises between 50% and 99% monoglyceride, and between 1% and 50% fatty acid salt.
14 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the residence time of the items is between 150 seconds and 180 seconds.
15 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the treatment processing parameters include an average system temperature, the average system temperature greater than 65° C.
16 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the treatment processing parameters include a product path air velocity, the product path air velocity between 3 m/s and 6 m/s.
17 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the treatment processing parameters include a relative humidity within the apparatus, the relative humidity less than 15%.
18 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the coating requirement includes a coating thickness between 0.1 microns and 5 microns.
19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the coating requirement includes one of a coating mosaicity requirement, or a bilayer stacking mosaicity.
20 . A method for treating an item with a coating mixture, comprising:
identifying operational parameters associated with a drying tunnel;
identifying a desired coating requirement;
determining optimal drying tunnel parameters based on the operational parameters and the desired coating requirements; and
operating the drying tunnel based on the optimal drying tunnel parameters.
21 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the coating requirement includes one of a coating thickness, or a coating mosaicity.
22 . A treatment system for drying coated products, comprising:
a drying tunnel controller;
a drying tunnel having a first end that receives coated products and a conveyor that advances the coated products towards a second end, the drying tunnel controlled by the drying tunnel controller to maintain one or more treatment processing parameters of the drying tunnel within a predetermined range, the treatment processing parameters including an average system temperature and a conveyer speed, the conveyor speed based at least in part on a temperature of the products before entering the first end of the drying tunnel.
23 . The treatment system of claim 22 , wherein the one or more treatment processing parameters include an average system temperature, wherein the average system temperature is greater than 65° C.
24 . The treatment system of claim 22 , wherein the conveyor speed is controlled to provide a product residence time within the drying tunnel between 90 seconds and 240 seconds.
25 . The treatment system of claim 22 , wherein the one or more treatment processing parameters includes a product path air velocity, wherein the product path air velocity is maintained between 3 m/s and 6 m/s.
26 . The treatment system of claim 22 , wherein the one or more treatment processing parameters includes an average relative humidity, wherein the average relative humidity is controlled to be less than 15%.
27 . The treatment system of claim 22 , wherein the treatment processing parameters are selected based on one or more of a product geometry, a product density, a product thermal conductivity, a product skin thickness, a product water content, a product composition, and a product surface area.
28 . The treatment system of claim 22 , wherein the coated products comprise a liquid coating, the liquid coating comprising a water-based solution, comprising a monoglyceride and fatty acid salt.
29 . The treatment system of claim 28 , wherein the liquid coating comprises between 50% and 99% monoglyceride, and between 1% and 50% fatty acid salt.
30 . The treatment system of claim 22 , wherein the treatment processing parameters are configured to form a dried coating on the products having a thickness between 0.1 microns and 5 microns that exhibits bilayer stacking mosaicity.